Stonehill Shoots by Franklin Pierce, 70-56
Skyhawks drain 10-of-18 three-pointers, shoot 55.3-percent from the field
RINDGE, N.H. (February 11, 2006) - Stonehill College, ranked first in the Northeast Region and receiving votes in this week's NABC national poll, canned 10-of-18 three-pointers to key a 70-56 victory over Franklin Pierce in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the Fieldhouse this afternoon.
Stonehill rode the hot hand of freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia), who netted a season-high 20 points (17 second half) on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including 4-5 from three-point range, to go with six rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals off the bench. Senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ontario/Markham District) added nine points, six rebounds and eight assists, while classmate Marquis Taylor (Lons Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) finished with nine points, six rebounds and two steals.
Senior Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plain, Mass./North Cambridge Catholic) led Franklin Pierce with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals. Classmate Justin Powell (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) totaled ten points, a team-best five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while freshman Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep) added nine points (all second half) and four boards. Freshman Jack Barrett (Reading, Mass./Andover) chipped in eight points (all first half) on 3-3 shooting from the field (1-1 three's), five assists and two steals.
Stonehill never trailed, scoring the first six points of the game before staking out leads of 18-3 and 21-5 in the first eight minutes of the contest. The Skyhawks lead was 14 points (30-16) after a Smith three-pointer with 4:06 to go before the half when the Ravens used a 7-1 run to pull within eight (31-23) after a Sully lay-up with 1:20 left in the stanza.
The Skyhawks led by ten at the break (34-24), and then scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 17-point advantage (41-24) 3:44 in. Sully hit a three-pointer to pull the Ravens within ten (49-39), capping a 9-2 run, with 11:36 to play. Franklin Pierce crept within eight (54-46) after Powell converted a conventional three-point play with 7:56 left, but Stonehill reeled off a 12-2 run to open an 18-point cushion (66-48) after a Smith jumper with 3:22 left.
Stonehill shot 56.5-percent (13-23) from the field in the second half, including 4-of-7 (57.1%) from three-point range, and finished shooting 55.3% (26-47) for the day, including 10-18 (55.6%) from beyond the arc. The Skyhawks also out-rebounded the hosts 35-25 as Franklin Pierce shot 37-percent in each half, finishing 20-of-54 for the afternoon, including 38.1% (8-21) from long-range.
Franklin Pierce (13-10, 10-8 NE-10) is back in action Monday when it hosts No. 21 Saint Anselm College at 7 p.m. This is a makeup of Thursday's game that was postponed due to a regional power-outage. Stonehill (18-5, 14-5 NE-10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.